November 19, 1933 Earthquake: Malekula, Vanuatu Islands
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Malekula, Vanuatu Islands on November 19, 1933 at 03:11:25 UTC, 35 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- November 19, 1933
- Time
- 03:11:25 UTC
- Place
- Malekula, Vanuatu Islands
- Magnitude
- 6.4 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 35 km (22 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 16.895° S, 167.776° E
- Country
- Vanuatu
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
19–20 November 1933 (LT) Malekula Earthquakes were felt on Malekula Island. One of them, on 19 November, was strong enough to damage the church and other buildings at Lamap, southern Malekula. Following these shocks, the southern coast of Makekula, at least the region from Assouk to Port Ravallec, subsided about 0.3– 0.4 m. It is also reported that the subsidence was accompanied by a small tsunami (Louat and Baldassari, 1989). (reference #13893)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 17, 2024, Efate, Port Vila, Vanuatu Islands
- November 26, 1999, Pentecost, Vanuatu Islands
- October 27, 1971, Espiritu Santo, Port Vila, Vanuatu Islands
- May 13, 1903, Vanuatu Islands
- July 13, 1994, Vanuatu Islands
- May 29, 2009, Tongoa, Vanuatu Islands
- February 19, 2015, Vanuatu Islands
- December 15, 2018, Ambrym Island, Vanuatu Islands
- August 10, 2010, Vanuatu Islands
- January 2, 2002, Efate, Port Vila, Vanuatu Islands
- June 2, 2009, Tongoa, Vanuatu Islands
- April 28, 2016, Vanuatu Islands
- November 22, 1905, Port Vila, Vanuatu
- November 24, 1905, Port Vila, Vanuatu
- July 31, 1893, Vanuatu Islands
More
Significant earthquakes of 1933The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1933Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 10783.